Elgood's Brewery Takes International Brewing Awards Gold

Elgood's Brewery's Coolship Fruit received a gold medal at the 2017 International Brewing Awards. For all the details, see the release below:

Cambridgeshire, England (May 17, 2017) –  Elgood’s Brewery is celebrating its most recent success at the International Brewing Awards, where the Elgood's team was delighted to be named Championship Winner in the International Specialty Beer Competition for its Elgood's Coolship Fruit. The Lambic-style, naturally fermented sour beer flavored with berry fruits was chosen as the Championship Winner from a group of seven gold-medal winning specialty beers.

Trophies were awarded to only nine brewers and one cidermaker at the award ceremony, which was held in London’s historic Guildhall on April 26 at the Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry (BFBi) Supplier’s Association National Luncheon. The event was attended by more than 400 people, including more than 125 brewers and cidermakers from 21 countries.

Unofficially coined “the Oscars of the brewing industry," the International Brewing Awards was first held in 1886 and is the oldest international brewing competition in the world. Competition entries are judged by a panel of international judges, all of whom are experienced brewers and tasters drawn from 15 countries.

The award was presented to head brewer Alan Pateman by John Willetts of Barth-Haas Group, the category sponsor. “It’s unusual for an English brewer to make a sour beer," Pateman said proudly. "Our Coolship Blonde received a silver medal at the awards in 2015. To collect the Championship Trophy for Coolship Fruit this time is the ultimate accolade."

“Because our brewery focuses on traditional English ales, the equipment we use for all of our brewing, but in particular for the sour ale production, is actually well-suited for ‘Lambic’ beers," Pateman continues. "We have a unique pair of copper ‘coolships’ which date from around the 1920s, and these are key to the story of our sour beer.”

Elgood’s copper coolships allow the wort to cool overnight, thereby inoculating it with a healthy mix of microbes. As the wort cools, it becomes the perfect home for lactobacilli, which are responsible for the sourness. Brettanomyces and other wild yeasts add earthy notes and saccharomyces cerevisiae, or brewer’s yeast, finishes the fermentation.

This complex and symbiotic fermentation gives Elgood’s beers a depth and complexity of flavor that is just not possible any other way. For instance, it takes between 9 and 12 months for Elgood’s Sour Pale to reach maturity, aging peacefully the whole while in stainless steel tanks.

"We're proud of the work that Elgood's has done with spontaneous fermentation – coolships and all,” said Lanny Hoff, SVP-Brands Manager at Artisanal Imports, “and we believe they are making some great beers, worthy of the world stage. We have plans to introduce the Coolship Fruit later this year, but the next up for us is the intense and delicious Mango variant. Look for it this June!”

Coolship products like the new Sour Mango Ale are available from Elgood’s Brewery Shop, Visitor Centre Shop and online at www.elgoods-brewery.co.uk alongside its full range of bottled beers.

Interested in selling Elgood’s Sour Mango Ale at your restaurant, bar or retail store? Interested in becoming a distribution partner for Elgood & Sons? Please contact Lanny Hoff with interest.

For interview opportunities with Elgood & Sons head brewer Alan Pateman, or for more information about the family-owned brewery’s heritage and handcrafted beer, please contact Lanny Hoff at +1 (612) 245-5433 or by email at [email protected].

About Elgood & Sons: Elgood’s Brewery is family-owned and situated in the heart of ‘Fen’ country in Cambridgeshire, England. It was established in 1795, and is one of the first classic Georgian Breweries to be built outside London. Learn more at www.elgoods-brewery.co.uk.